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but it is only during the last century that these books, or the in- 

 formation in them, have been supplied directly to the farmer. 

 Furthermore, this supply has been thus far chiefly by books singly 

 at home, and through the agricultural papers; and because the 

 newspaper and the single book can not cover the whole great field 

 of agriculture, the farmer has constantly found himself wanting in- 

 formation on one subject and his book or his paper offering him 

 information on another. When cholera suddenly breaks out among 

 his hogs, his paper has an article on sheep scab and his book deals 

 with the diseases of the horse. His need is a library within reach 

 that will furnish in concise form the entire body of thoroughly 

 proved agricultural science. (The principal object of this series of 

 books entitled "Abridged Agricultural Records," is to provide- the 

 farmer and his family with correct information on all farming op- 

 erations; the indexes will enable him to make instant use of every 

 line.) 



Libraries have multiplied and have grown in numbers of vol- 

 umes and in activity wonderfully during the past twenty-five years, 

 and of late they have begun to come to the farmer. Granges, farm- 

 ers' clubs, farmers' institutes, and farmers' reading circles have all 

 helped to create a demand for books, and to some extent have helped 

 to meet it. During the past ten years the traveling library move- 

 ment has developed. As a result many small libraries are sent out 

 to rural communities and are constantly exchanged among them. 

 But these libraries are made up chiefly of light reading, and even 

 euch as are agricultural can not be depended on to meet oases of 

 urgent demand, because they are at one place only a few months. 

 The establishment of permanent libraries of standard agricultural 

 works near the farm home is a suggested need. In this direction 

 seems to lie another step, both in library development and in the 

 progress of scientific farming. (Y. B. 1899). 



The founding of agricultural libraries in this country was first 

 undertaken by the agricultural societies established in several of the 

 states just after the close of the Revolutionary War. In those early 

 days agricultural books were no more numerous in general libraries 

 than at the colleges, and were probably not as much used. 



Agricultural libraries have now been established in connection 

 with the agricultural colleges and experiment stations in every State 

 and Territory in the Union. In addition to their use by students in 

 the colleges and stations, most of these libraries are free to all who 

 are likely to be helped. In States in which the agricultural college 

 and the experiment station are separated there are two such libraries, 

 one at the college and one at the station. In majority of them the 

 shelves are open to all readers. Farmers are especially welcome. 



The traveling library movement originated in 1892 by Melvil 

 Dewey, librarian of the New York State Library at Albany, has 

 from the start been an especial boon to rural communities, and an 

 effort has usually been made by the organizers in the various States 

 where the system exists to encourage farmers to read books on farm- 



